[jrenaut]

The car is for carrying things that are too heavy to go in my backpack on the bike. Mostly the only time it moves is to switch sides of the road for street cleaning.

[jrenaut]

Should have stepped up to the Defy 1 with the air conditioning option. It’s hot out there today.

[jrenaut]

First ride in was great. I have to rethink all the lights I push for, though. On the Bikeshare bike, I knew which ones I could get and which ones I couldn’t. Now there are lights I never could have made before that aren’t that hard.

I picked the Giant not exactly by default, but some circumstances contributed to the choice. I wanted to get it from The Bike Rack at 14th and Q NW – they were recommended by a serious cyclist friend, and every time I’ve been in they’ve been really helpful and friendly. Plus they offer (limited) free lifetime maintenance on the bike, and they’re on my way to work. They carry Scott and Giant, plus some other stuff that’s way out of my price range. And they apparently have inventory issues with Scott, and couldn’t get the Scott that’s more or less comparable to the Giant. But the Giant fits well, and now that I’m getting used to drop bars for the first time, it’s great to ride.

I’ll post some pictures of the ceiling mount soon.

[jrenaut]

@baiskeli 3904 wrote:

Depends.

(Get it?)

Yeah, I just wish I didn’t.

[jrenaut]

@StopMeansStop 3867 wrote:

They also make padded Lycra underwear which you can use under street clothes.

Are you sure the padded underwear is intended for biking?

[jrenaut]

You can also try Bonktown and ChainLove – they sell all sorts of cycling accessories, Woot-style. You might have to keep watching for a few days or so before something you want comes around, but they have great deals.

[jrenaut]

I’m always up for happy hour in theory, though with kids and a weird work schedule it’s sometimes hard to actually make it to one. Unless it’s Kids Happy Hour at the Reef in Adams Morgan on Fridays. Then you can pretty much just expect I’ll be there.

[jrenaut]

Another option, at least for a shirt, is just inexpensive general athletic shirts. I have a couple Champion t-shirts that I got from Target for less than $15 that wick moisture and don’t start to sag when they’re wet. They don’t have the advantage of the pocket in back, but I almost always have a backpack on, anyway, so that isn’t a big deal for me.

I’m starting to look for summer-weight pants that won’t get caught in a chain, but won’t get me dirty looks when I walk into the building at work before I get a chance to change.

[jrenaut]

@Dirt 3739 wrote:

I know there’s a station 1/2 block south on 14th St. I didn’t see one at the Plaza though.

That’s probably what I was looking for. I guess I didn’t read the website carefully enough, and thought there was going to be something right at Freedom Plaza.

[jrenaut]

I didn’t see the Bikeshare corral they promised at Freedom Plaza, so I kept going on to work. I did walk through, though, and it was pretty amazing how many people were there. I was a bit late this morning due to daycare drop-off drama, and there were very few bikes still on 14th St NW. Capital Bikeshare did a great job keeping the stations stocked up north, though. Most days there’s no chance I could find a bike in Columbia Heights as late as I did today.

[jrenaut]

I just took my 223rd Bikeshare trip this morning. I’ve worn a helmet for 221 of them. The other two were rides of less than 3 minutes. I stop at (almost) all stop signs and red lights, and I ALWAYS yield to pedestrians.

[jrenaut]

@jrenaut 3615 wrote:

I like the mud stripe on my backpack, too – it keeps the cat from using it as a pillow when I get home.

Clearly not rainy enough this morning – the cat is asleep on my backpack as I type this.

[jrenaut]

@CCrew 3613 wrote:

I’m a mud stripe up the back kinda guy

I like the mud stripe on my backpack, too – it keeps the cat from using it as a pillow when I get home.

[jrenaut]

I think my bike commute is on the short end of the spectrum – it’s only about three miles. But I love that a brisk ride on CaBi takes the same amount of time as taking Metro, but I’m getting fresh air, exercise, and I don’t have to cram myself into a crowded train with a bunch of other grumpy people. I get to work in a much better mood since I started biking (almost every day since November).

It’ll be even better when I find a bike I’m happy with and buy my own so I don’t have to go through the hassle of finding a CaBi bike in Columbia Heights during the morning rush hour.

[jrenaut]

How is there not a Bikeshare station on The Mall? Is this the NPS being grouchy again?

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